Tangled
by Issac Blast
Summary: What if Renamon hadn't stopped Takato from following Rika out the door that day? He would have handled the situation as only a gogglehead could.


This is a What-if fic inspired while listening to the song it features. Oh, yeah, it's RuKato.

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Tangled

By Issac Blast

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After the tiring and confusing events of a Parasimon invasion, the last thing she wanted to be doing was celebrating a birthday. It didn't help that it was _her_ birthday.

"Hey Ruki! A little bird told us you sing good! How 'bout a song?" only a dimwit like Kazu would make such a statement, but anyone who was hoping for a visor beat-down were disappointed when she simply walked out. Others thought it was just because of a near-death experience earlier that day, but a certain overly helpful friend went against common sense and started to follow.

At the door he was stopped by the girls partner, expecting to be reprimanded for invading Ruki's privacy, so you can imagine his reaction when she uttered just two words.

"Good luck" The confusion in his eyes turned to determination and, with a nod, he walked off. Approaching slowly so as not to startle her, Takato was startled himself when he heard soft singing coming from the girl. After a while, Ruki stopped and he took his chance.

"That was beautiful." With a gasp, the red-head turned around, fully intending to make the eavesdropper forget what they had heard. Her eyes grew wide as they alighted upon her audience. Bewildered by his smile, she voiced the thought.

"R-really?"

"Mm-hmm," he nodded. "Um," he began apprehensively, "W-would you sing some more? I mean, you don't have to if you don't…"

"Sure," she interrupted.

"What?" he replied, startled.

"I'll sing another. Well, I only know one other… come sit," she said, patting the ground next to her. As he did and Ruki began to sing, recollections of the past two years started to float through his mind, somehow triggered but the young girl's enchanting voice.

**You wanna know more, more, more about m  
****I'm the girl who's kicking the coke machine  
****I'm the one that's honking at you 'cause I left late again**

Ruki yelling at Icedevimon as Takato and Wargrowlmon fight to free her partner.  
The two of them running around the city during the appearance of the Deva's

**Can't you see I want you by the way I push you away  
****Don't judge me tomorrow by the way I'm acting today  
****Mix the words up with the action, do it all for our reaction, ye-ah.**

All the times Ruki had told Takato he was being stupid, right up to when he charged headlong into the D-reaper.

**You wanna know more, more, about me  
****Gotta know reverse psychology  
****I'm the reason why you can't get to sleep  
****I'm the girl you never get just quite what you see**

The many occasions that she told him she didn't need help but thanked him later nonetheless.  
The dream, the first moment Takato had ever seen her, that pulled them together in more ways then one.

**Can't you see I want you by the way I push you away  
****Don't judge me tomorrow by the way I'm acting today  
****Mix the words up with the action, do it all for our reaction, ye-ah.**

The way she let a smile 'slip' every time she called him gogglehead.

**Hey, hey, get tangled up in me  
****You think that you know me  
****You think that I'm only  
****When everything I do is only to get tangled up in you  
****You wanna know more, more, more about me  
****I'm the girl who's sweeping you off your feet…**

Ruki finished and took a deep breath, then looked across at the boy.

"Hey, gogglehead." There it was, that smile.

He looked up with glazed eyes, as if hypnotized. Ruki became irritated when he didn't answer.

"I said.."

"Do you ever hear a song and wonder," he started, "how it can relate to your life?" She blushed and looked down.

"You noticed." Now it was his turn to be surprised.

"You chose that one on purpose?"

"I heard it this morning, before the call came in about the trailmon. It got me thinking and made me realize some things."

"Like what?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"Like how I've been hiding my feelings from everyone, even myself. How hard I've fallen for you…" Then she heard him laugh.

"Did it help you see how I've fallen for you?" She was taken aback by the statement.

"But what about Jeri?"

"We've grown closer, but not how anyone expected. She's more like the sister I never had, now." He paused and looked back.

"Did I hear my name?"

"Ah, Jeri!"

"Don't worry Ruki, you can have him. You two make a cute couple anyway." The pair turned toward each other then smiled.

"Thanks, Juri." Ruki said, "My very own gogglehead." Both girls started to laugh with the scared expression that Takato gave Ruki at that moment as another thought crossed his mind.

_What did I get myself into?_


End file.
